The End
by Kihin Ranno
Summary: Cause it's the end of the world as we know it...


The End  
Sailor Moon Monthly Fanfiction Challenge on LiveJournal  
July Challenge - Day Six: Ending  
Winner of "Best Drama" at SMMFC's July 2006 Awards  
by Kihin Ranno  
1/1

He had gone to Tokyo in hopes of finding her, but he hadn't actually been all that confident. He didn't think he had enough time, and he didn't even know where she was living. Even without those obstacles, he expected that it would be hard to get to her. After all, she was famous now. Untouchable in a way that he never would have expected from the flighty, awkward thirteen year old she had once been.

That's why he was so surprised when he was able to find her, standing on a balcony that overlooked most the city. She was wearing a dress, which surprised him given how desperately cold it was becoming. But she didn't shiver as her white skirts blew around her angel's wings, seeming almost ethereal as she looked up to the sky and the gathering dark.

"Mina!" he called out as he strode forward, his accent sounding strange even to himself after listening to the Japanese one for so long.

She turned around in shock, and her ghost-like quality faded instantly and she was just as mortal as he. She recognized his voice instantly but could not immediately pick him out. He was older with shorter hair and a goatee, but she knew him when he made eye contact. Her face seemed to break apart as she leapt forward, flinging her arms around his neck. "Alan," she breathed, already softening her accent so that he could scarcely hear any hint of an 'r' in her pronunciation.

He held her for a long moment, thankful to have found her in time. He had not seen her in years, not since his wedding to Katarina. Back then, he had held her for about ten minutes to reassure himself that she really was alive, that she hadn't died years before. He wanted to do that again now, but neither of them had that luxury. He pulled away, keeping his hands on her shoulders. He noticed that she was unnaturally warm. "I'm so happy that I found you," he confessed, his dark eyes as wide as a dying man's.

Minako reached up and touched his cheek, which he knew was icy to the touch. She didn't seem to mind or even register it. "Alan, what are you doing here?" she asked. "How did you get here? I thought all transportation was cut off."

Alan nodded. "I still have some connections in Interpol, and they got me through."

Minako's head bowed, showing the sadness he would not allow himself to feel as they remembered his late wife, one of many recent casualties. "I'm so sorry, Alan," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I should have been able to--"

"Don't," he ordered, shaking her gently. "Don't feel guilty now. You couldn't... couldn't save everyone." His own voice faltered, but he shook his head. He wouldn't let himself be caught up in grief. There was no time to mourn. "But that's not why I'm here."

"Why are you here?" Minako asked before he could continue. "You should know better than to come to Tokyo of all places."

Alan laughed bitterly. "Where else would I go to see the end of the world?"

Minako sighed sadly, closing her eyes. "Then you know." She paused, swallowing. "Is that what you came here to ask? If we could stop it or fix it later? Because--"

"No," Alan interrupted, not wanting to know. "I came because…" He stopped, taking the time to tip Minako's head up to look at him. It was an intimate gesture, one that made her blush after all this time, but they both knew that it was not intended that way. He just wouldn't have her looking away when he said this to her. It was important, and he would be heard. "I came because you're my friend. The only one I have left. And… I didn't want to be alone."

Minako's eyes filled with water and she flung herself forward, her hot tears soaking his shirt. He held on to her, his last connection to the rest of humanity. The rumbling came soon after and the both looked up to where heaven might be, huddling together as the sky came crashing down.

And that was the end.


End file.
